Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) introduced passage policy rules for all categories of employment stripping previous benefits and free tickets to a number of employees with effect from March 1, 2022, reported 24NewsHD TV channel on Saturday.

The PIA launched a new policy as part of its efforts to rationalize passage entitlements for all categories of employees in PG I to XI including cockpit crew and aircraft engineers.

The new policy is for regular, contractual, deputationist, local and Pakistan-based employees at foreign stations, retired employees and deceased’s families.

All employees could avail existing entitlements of passages till Feb 28 this year and after that new policy will be launched.

As per the revised air-ticket policy, free tickets for the deceased employees’ families have been stripped off and also retired or deceased employees' parents would not be entitled to get free tickets from March 1.

Also, tickets will be provided to employees' children only up to the age of 24 and unmarried children up to the age of 27.

Retired and deceased employees' foster children will also not be getting free tickets.

A notification reads, that in case both husband and wife are working in PIA, one can get the full entitlement whereas the other can get half of the passages of his/her entitlement as prescribed below.

For passage facility during leave without pay (LWP), employees will not be entitled for the air passages if the LWP exceeds 120 days in a stretch; however, they would be entitled to Zonal Employee Discount (ZED) fare passages.

Reporter Usman Javed